5 May 1997

Labour for the law

The Government is certainly keeping an interest in all things legal. Lord Irvine’s Parliamentary Secretary Geoff Hoon MP’s idea of setting up a parliamentary group of lawyers or those with an interest in the law is excellent. Apart from keeping backbenchers busy, it should keep legal matters high up on the Government’s agenda. Indeed, a […]

Flotations

Coudert Brothers advised Chinese plastics and chemicals producer Beijing Yanhua Petrochemical on its dual $200m flotation on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges. Lead managers Bear Stearns & Co and SBC Warburg were advised by Baker & McKenzie.

Financing

Linklaters & Paines and Clifford Chance have advised on the first two international Eurobond offerings by Russian municipalities. Linklaters advised the City of Moscow on its debut $500m Eurobond offering and Clifford Chance advised the managers of the issue. In St Petersburg

Flotations

Gouldens advised designer menswear brand Ted Baker on its £55.7m flotation by placing on the London Stock Exchange. Simmons & Simmons advised Charterhouse Tilney

'He is good for social justice but he sometimes goes too far”

Pensions Ombudsman Julian Farrand’s recent public attack on an Eversheds partner has unearthed deep-rooted feelings of discontent, says Robert Lindsay. There has not been anybody quite like him since Lord Denning. He is good for the legal profession and good for social justice… but he sometimes goes a little bit too far.” – Taylor Joynson […]

Asim committee to plan for future

The Association of Solicitor Investment Managers (Asim) has set up a strategy committee to oversee a three-year business plan. It is the first time that the group has put resources into developing such a plan. The committee will consist of Asim chair Iain Nicholson of Iain Nicholson & Co, vice-chair John Morton of Brachers and […]

Eversheds absorbs Wilkinsons to form new Newcastle giant

Eversheds has officially announced the merger of its North East office with Newcastle firm Wilkinson Maughan. Under the merger, revealed in The Lawyer last week, the new firm is staffed by 47 partners – 23 from Eversheds and 24 from Wilkinsons – making it the biggest firm in the North East and putting it ahead […]

Simmons in Fried Frank joint venture

Simmons & Simmons is aiming to compete with the leading UK firms in international securities by forming a London-based joint venture with New York practice Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson. The venture – to be called the International Securities Unit – will be based in Simmons’ London office. It will be staffed by one […]

Inspectors to probe chambers training

CHAMBERS will for the first time be exposed to Bar Council inspection visits as part of a new scheme to improve the quality of pupillage training. Under the scheme, approved at a Bar Council meeting on 26 July, Bar Council inspection teams, headed by senior members of the Bar, will monitor the quality of the […]

1

Legal aid partner jailed for 'wicked' green form fraud

THE FORMER head of a Lancashire firm dubbed a “den of thieves” by a Crown Court judge has been jailed for 15 months for defrauding the Legal Aid Board (LAB) of more than £1m. Gary Grosberg, whose firm Grosberg & Co was closed down by the Law Society in 1994, was found guilty of conspiracy […]

Chicago firm has designs on HK

Chicago firm Peterson & Ross is planning to open a Hong Kong office, the senior partner at its London branch has revealed. Michael Skrbic said the move was part of an ambitious global expansion plan for the insurance specialist which includes the opening this month of an office in San Juan, Puerto Rico and a […]

In brief: Director of Fair Trading wants tougher laws

John Bridgeman, the Director General of Fair Trading, has called for tougher consumer protection legislation and said he would want to share his enforcement powers with local authority trading standards offices – if the government was committed to reinforcing local trading standards. Bridgeman was speaking on the publication of his annual report, which showed a […]